The Women Behind the Magic: Monaco’s Global Gift Gala
At the 2026 Global Gift Gala Monaco, Eva Longoria, María Bravo, Princess Stéphanie, Alexandra Leclerc and YANINA Couture brought different perspectives to one question: what can influence achieve when it is put to work for others?
There was no shortage of glamour at the Global Gift Gala Monaco. But beyond the beautiful setting and familiar faces, it was the people, their stories and the reasons they had come together that made the evening memorable.
When Eva Longoria took the stage at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, she moved naturally between English and French, much to the delight of the Monaco audience. The actress, director, producer and philanthropist spoke warmly about returning to the Principality following the success of the previous year’s gala, thanking the local community and the supporters whose generosity has helped the Global Gift Foundation extend its reach internationally.
For Longoria, who has worked alongside María Bravo for more than a decade, the Global Gift Gala is about more than bringing influential people together for an evening. It is about giving visibility and practical support to organisations whose work might otherwise go unnoticed.
She described the Foundation as an international platform connecting people and charitable initiatives across different countries, with particular attention to women and children.
“If you help a woman, she helps her family, and when you improve the lives of families, you improve the lives of nations,” she told the audience.
Her French brought a little warmth and humour to the occasion, but her message was serious: the value of a philanthropic platform lies in the opportunities it creates for others.
Held on 9 October and presented by APM Monaco, the second Global Gift Gala Monaco brought together international personalities, entrepreneurs, artists and members of the Principality’s philanthropic community to raise funds and awareness for charitable initiatives supporting women, children and vulnerable families.
The event also revealed something else: the different ways women from several generations are using their experience, visibility and professional expertise to advance charitable causes.
María Bravo and Eva Longoria: Building a Platform for Change
At the centre of the initiative is María Bravo, founder of the Global Gift Foundation, whose approach to philanthropy rests on bringing together people and organisations that might otherwise operate in separate worlds.
The Foundation’s international galas combine fundraising with a platform for social projects, humanitarian organisations and individuals seeking to extend the reach of their work.
For Longoria, its Honorary Chair, that means using international visibility to draw attention to initiatives supporting women and children.
During her address, María thanked Monaco’s generous community and the supporters whose involvement extends beyond the Principality. She also emphasised the Foundation’s work in identifying organisations around the world and giving them greater recognition.
The distinction matters. A high-profile event can attract attention for one evening; building relationships between donors and organisations offers the possibility of more sustained support.
This was the second Monaco edition of the gala, following an inaugural event in 2025 that reportedly raised approximately €400,000. Its return suggests an ambition to establish a lasting relationship between the Global Gift Foundation and the Principality’s philanthropic community.
Princess Stéphanie and Camille Gottlieb: A Commitment Across Generations
Monaco’s own charitable tradition was represented by H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie, whose work through Fight Aids Monaco has addressed the realities of living with HIV for more than two decades.
Founded in 2004, the organisation provides practical and social support to people living with HIV, while promoting prevention, awareness and the fight against stigma.
It is work that continues long after the attention surrounding any fundraising evening has faded.
The Princess’s daughter, Camille Gottlieb, represents a different generation of involvement.
Together with Medy Anthony, Gottlieb co-founded CMC Consulting, the Monaco-based agency involved in organising the gala and strengthening its local connections.
Their work demonstrates that philanthropy also depends on professional organisation: securing partners, coordinating contributions and turning international interest into tangible local participation.
For Camille, who has also developed her own charitable commitments through Be Safe Monaco, the relationship between public visibility and personal involvement is particularly relevant.
Mother and daughter represent different approaches, shaped by different generations, yet connected by an understanding of charitable engagement as an ongoing responsibility.
That sense of continuity would emerge again during the evening, this time through the world of haute couture.
Alexandra Leclerc: A Cause Close to Home
Among the initiatives supported by the gala was Corazones Unidos, established by Alexandra Leclerc to improve opportunities for children in underserved communities in Mexico, particularly through education, art and music.
Her motivation is rooted in family history rather than public profile.
“I’m half Mexican, and it has always been a big part of who I am,” she explained. “It’s my family, my mother tongue, my childhood through my mother, and a place very close to my heart.”
That connection has shaped her understanding of what it means to give back.
“I’ve also been incredibly fortunate with the opportunities that I’ve been given in my own life, and with that came a really strong feeling that I wanted to give something back.”
These words reveal a personal dimension often absent from the public discussion of celebrity philanthropy.
Alexandra’s initiative reflects an attempt to connect her own experience and opportunities with the needs of communities to which she feels a genuine attachment.
In Monaco, the Leclerc name naturally brings Formula 1 to mind. Yet Alexandra is building a story of her own through Corazones Unidos, drawing on her Mexican heritage to help create new opportunities for children.
YANINA Couture: More Than a Dress
The evening’s charity auction offered another perspective on women’s influence, this time through the language of fashion.
Dasha Yanina took to the stage to introduce her mother, Yulia Yanina, founder of the family couture house YANINA, established three decades ago.
Rather than concentrating on the exclusivity of haute couture, Dasha spoke about its emotional significance.
“Our artisans, they don’t work with their hands, they work with their hearts,” she said.
She described couture as a form of artistic expression connected to the experiences of the woman wearing it — the memories she creates and the confidence she discovers.
“It’s not about the dress, it’s about how you feel wearing the dress.”
The house contributed a unique couture creation featuring ballerinas on its sleeves to the charity auction.
Dasha also spoke of her family’s longstanding connection with María Bravo, Eva Longoria and the Global Gift Foundation — a relationship spanning more than fifteen years, built on a shared commitment to giving back.
The contribution carried a particular significance in an evening centred on women.
For Yulia and Dasha Yanina, the relationship between mother and daughter is also a professional and creative partnership. Their shared work illustrates how craftsmanship can be passed between generations while acquiring new meanings and purposes.
The dress was therefore more than an object of luxury. Within the context of the gala, it became an example of how artistic creation can support a charitable mission.
From the Racetrack to the Atelier
The auction itself offered a distinctly Monegasque meeting of worlds.
Among the notable contributions were a helmet associated with Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and an artwork incorporating his racing gloves, alongside the unique creation from YANINA Couture.
Motorsport and haute couture may appear to operate in entirely different spheres, yet both carry considerable cultural and commercial influence in Monaco.
Their presence in a charitable auction demonstrated how objects associated with sporting achievement, artistic craftsmanship and personal stories can be placed in the service of fundraising.
Music added another dimension to the evening, with French singer Carla Lazzari among the performers.
These contributions were part of a broader effort to mobilise different communities around the gala’s beneficiaries.
Alongside Fight Aids Monaco and Corazones Unidos, the Global Gift Foundation’s wider charitable work includes projects such as Casa Ángeles in Marbella, supporting children and young people with additional needs, and assistance to vulnerable children in Vietnam.
The range of initiatives is important. The organisations serve different communities and address different challenges, but share a need for sustained resources, public awareness and long-term engagement.
What Remains After the Evening
A gala in Monaco is bound to attract attention for its distinguished guests, spectacular setting and exceptional auction lots. And rightly so — these are part of what makes such an evening possible. But the real significance of the Global Gift Gala lay beyond the occasion itself, in the women whose dedication, ideas and personal commitments gave it purpose.
María Bravo’s international philanthropic platform, Eva Longoria’s advocacy, Princess Stéphanie’s longstanding commitment to Fight Aids Monaco, Camille Gottlieb’s organisational involvement, Alexandra Leclerc’s personal initiative and the YANINA family’s contribution through fashion each demonstrated a different way of turning influence into action.
Their stories also raised a broader question about the relationship between privilege and responsibility.
Access, professional success, creativity and public recognition can remain entirely personal achievements. They can also become resources that benefit others.
The difference lies not in the visibility of a charitable gesture, but in what follows it.
The lights of the Salle Empire will illuminate many more extraordinary evenings. For the Global Gift Gala, the more meaningful story will be told through the organisations it supports and the lives their work reaches.
The glamour brought people into the room. What matters is what that gathering makes possible beyond it.
